This day in sports: Dodgers come out swinging in return from strike
Ted Field and Bill Whittington went out for a Sunday drive in a black Interscope Lola on this date in 1982 and won the Toyota Grand Prix of Endurance on the twisting 3.25-mile road course at Riverside Raceway before 46,000 fans.
Under sunny skies, the winning car averaged 103.765 mph for the 624-mile event sponsored by The Times. An Andial-Meister Porsche driven by Al Holbert and Germany’s Harald Grohs finished second, almost eight miles behind Field and Whittington.
In games either postponed or canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Dodgers were scheduled Saturday to play an afternoon game in Pittsburgh against the Pirates. It would have been Roll-Up Blanket Night at Angel Stadium, where the Chicago White Sox and the Angels were set to play the third of a four-game series.
Paul Martinez loved his L.A. sports teams. His death due to complications related to coronavirus is a loss that extends beyond his family and friends.
The Galaxy had a Major League Soccer match scheduled against the Houston Dynamo at Dignity Health Sports Park. LAFC had been slated for an MLS match against the Fire at Soldier Field in Chicago.
Here is a look at memorable games and outstanding sports performances on this date:
1950 — Charles Cooper, an All-American from Duquesne playing with the Harlem Globetrotters, breaks the color barrier when he is the first African American picked in the NBA draft. Cooper is the 13th overall selection of the Boston Celtics in the second round, the choice of owner Walter Brown and coach Red Auerbach.
1965 — The Celtics score 42 points on a record 21 field goals in the final quarter of Game 5 to post a 129-96 rout of the Lakers and win their seventh consecutive NBA title. Seven Celtics score in double figures, including Bill Russell and Sam Jones, who each have 22 points. Jerry West leads the Lakers with 33.
1974 — The NFL adopts the 15-minute, sudden-death overtime period to avoid ties in regular-season and preseason games. The league also moves the goal posts to the back of the end zones.
1989 — Mario Lemieux, who was unable to practice because of a neck injury, ties NHL playoff records with four first-period goals, five overall and eight points as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Philadelphia Flyers 10-7 to take a 3-2 lead in the Patrick Division finals.
1993 — Micheal Williams sets an NBA record for consecutive free throws made with 84. He sinks 10 straight when the Minnesota Timberwolves beat Utah 113-111. Calvin Murphy held the previous mark of 78 for the Houston Rockets in 1981.
1995 — Major League Baseball returns after a 257-day players’ strike when the Dodgers beat the Florida Marlins 8-7. The walkout, which began Aug. 12, 1994, wiped out the playoffs, the World Series and the start of the 1995 season. Outfielder Raul Mondesi hits two home runs and drives in four runs for the Dodgers.
Steve Dalkowski, a hard-throwing, wild left-hander whose minor league career inspired the creation of Nuke LaLoosh in ‘Bull Durham,’ died. He was 80.
1997 — Phoenix’s Rex Chapman makes a playoff-record nine three-point shots en route to a career-high 42 points in the Suns’ 106-101 win over the Sonics at KeyArena in Seattle. Chapman breaks the playoff mark of eight set by Dan Majerle of Phoenix against Seattle on June 1, 1993.
2006 — After his appeal is denied, Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams is suspended for the 2006 season by the NFL for violating the league’s substance abuse policy for the fourth time. He is eligible for reinstatement in 2007.
2010 — Dwyane Wade sets franchise playoff records with 46 points, 30 in the second half, and the Miami Heat hold off elimination by beating Boston 101-92 in Game 4 of an Eastern Conference first-round series.
SOURCES: The Times, Associated Press
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